Janine Turner's '90 in 90' on Constitution

Janine Turner knows this much to be true: Americans don’t know their Constitution.

“There’s just such a lack of knowledge,” said the actress best known for her role as Maggie O’Connell in the 1990s television series, “Northern Exposure.” “It’s not on the front of anyone’s mind anymore.”

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In 2010, she founded Constituting America, a website and learning initiative aimed at bringing the founding documents into the lives of young Americans. And, this week, the group unveiled its annual “90 in 90” project and online forum, which features 90 essays from 90 individuals on constitutional topics.

“I’m using my experience as an actress, singer and entertainer to get kids to pay attention because they’re just not going to read a book, unfortunately. They’re just not. I wish they would, but they’re not.”

Part of the blame lies with schools, Turner says.

“I work with schools all the time and you find the rare school that teaches the Constitution or the founding principles with fervor, with passion, and not with a roll of the eyes, saying ‘this is old and doesn’t matter.’ There’s no portrait of George Washington in the schools. It’s not discussed. … And so, what is happening is we’ll have a generation of kids not even realizing that, when a president says something like, ‘If Congress doesn’t do something, I will,’ that that’s not constitutional, that’s a dictatorship.”

If that sounds like a subtle dig at President Obama, it might be. Turner is a conservative and campaigned for Sarah Palin in 2008 and spoke at the 2012 Republican National Convention.

But Turner says all pols need to heed constitutional lessons.

“It’s not just about President Obama,” Turner said. “It’s all presidents. I think the executive orders are being misused.”

Turner added that’s true for the Hill as well.

“Representatives need to understand the constitution, too. If they’re going to be sworn in to protect the Constitution, they should understand it first.”